History is History

Our time in history will be defined by the data we create today

History, as we know it, is history. We have reached a point where the data we create each day is stored indefinitely.

Indefinitely — for an unlimited or unspecified period of time

What will happen to the data we’ve created once we leave the world behind? Will this information be used to define history from ~2000 onwards? Absolutely! Our current understanding of human history is based on documents that are largely selected by “winners” to create a story of what may have happened. The history of the future will look much different. History of modern time will be made up almost entirely of primary sources; text message conversations, social media updates, g+ hangouts, Evernote accounts, and every other digital platform you can think of.

All of this data is locked up in servers scattered around the globe being protected with seemingly unbreachable security.

Long after we die will this data still exist? Yes.

Will there be anyone whose best interest is to protect it? No.

The lure of understanding how notable public figures developed throughout their lives will be too much for society to hold back. Think about being able to read conversations between the founding fathers or watch Thomas Edison create the first light bulb. Certainly this will trump any reservations technology companies have with sharing this information.

The way we look at the past is changing and will continue to change as the data we create ages. This change will become more dramatic as we increase the number of ways we are measuring ourselves. With the decline in the price to maintain databases there’s no question that this data is here to stay. History, as we know it, is history.